29 February 2008
28 February 2008
Fête du Citron - shopping!
Tomorrow, we'll pop across the road to the Palais de l'Europe where we'll pay a quick visit to the exhibition of orchids.
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27 February 2008
Fête du Citron - Adelaide
This little charmer is called Adelaide. She posed for her parents and just as they were done, I came along and wanted to take a photograph. It took three before she'd smile and even then she wouldn't look at the camera. Cute eh?
As you can see, we've sunshine but it's chilly - everyone wrapped up as if it's winter - which I suppose it is.
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25 February 2008
Fête du Citron - the visitors
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Children being lined up by their teacher before walking around the exhibits. Note the trees: oranges don't just grow on the displays. Menton is not known as the City of Lemons (and oranges) for nothing.
In the photo above, you can perhaps see, amidst the light and shadow on the yellow hut, a poster. (Reproduced on the left) Presumably the number of oranges or lemons mentioned is the reward for finding the big bad pirate! These posters are everywhere at the Festival.
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Fête du Citron - the Pirates' Boat
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24 February 2008
Fête du Citron - Replacing rotten citrus
When the event is over, the Department of Parks and Gardens is left with the daunting task of removing everything in 5 days, including redoing the lawn in the Biovès gardens and replacing the plants.
The citrus fruits which are still in good condition are sold off at token prices in front of the Palais de l'Europe for the pleasure of those who like to make jam, syrup, orange wine, etc.
Several varieties of lemons are grown in the Menton region: Santa Theresa, Villafranca, Eureka. The shape is more elliptical than round with a bright yellow colour. It's also characterised by very fructiferous branches bearing up to fifteen fruits, while there are less than five to a branch on most lemon trees. Research reveals that the lemon grown in the Menton region is rich in acid and essence, with a high essential oil content in the peel.
Tomorrow - pirates!
There is a new series starting today on Monte Carlo Daily Photo which features, each day, one of 35 works of art currently showing in the Casino Gardens on the subject of ecology and art. Today - the Octopus made of turf and rubber gloves. Do click on the link.
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23 February 2008
Fête du Citron - The Isle of the Lost - 2
Fénix asked how many Lemon Festivals I've visited and which one I've liked best. So time for a confession: I've lived in Menton for 17 years and last year was the first time I visited and even then, I only went so I could take photos for Menton Daily Photo! I'd seen photos each year in Nice-Matin - crowds of people in the streets watching the floats go by. Also photos of the permanent displays in these gardens. Somehow I didn't think I'd like it, didn't think I'd like massive crowds, thought it might all be rather trite. How wrong I was! I was surprised how fabulous it all is, how beautifully made the displays are and yes, the wonderful smells. Many people - probably the majority - come to Menton specially for the Festival and so there is a marvellous holiday atmosphere and I find I can pretend I'm not really taking a few hours off work but am on holiday too. It has that effect.
Last year's Theme was India and you can see photos of that by clicking on the Fête du Citron link on the right hand side of this blog. I wish, now, I'd seen the festival the year it featured Tintin and his dog, Milou.
Tomorrow - we'll see the rotten fruit being replaced and talk a little about the 'true' Menton lemon.
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22 February 2008
Fête du Citron - The Isle of the Lost
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The City's Department of Parks and Gardens collects boxwood from the mountains and hinterland of Menton prior to the Festival. This is used for the contours of the decorations once the metal work has been built.
The statues and floats are covered with wire netting and 70 square metres of boxwood is braided into garlands. Then the lemons and oranges are attached to the netting with elastic bands - yellow and orange bands so they don't show too much. They used to use wire, until one of the gardeners had the idea of elastic bands, which doesn't damage the fruit as much.
Covering 1 square metre of wire netting requires 30 kilos of fruit, nearly 200 lemon and oranges. All the fruit -145 metric tons in all, is imported from Spain. It's delivered to Menton at the end of January and the work begins in early February. Menton cannot produce enough citrus for the festival. The elastic bands are imported from Taiwan and 500,000 of them are needed.
During the two or so weeks of the Lemon Festival, 80 people are involved. On the day before the inauguration, any damaged fruit is replaced. During the festival the rotten fruit is changed every day.
On the moveable floats, the fruit is covered by very fine wire so that spectators don't remove it as the float goes by!
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21 February 2008
Fête du Citron - Easter Island & Madagascar
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From models to metal 'skeletons' - how is it done? Once the models are selected, the construction of the metal structures is entrusted to specialised metalworkers. The challenge is to realise steel structures that are both sturdy enough to support the weight of the fruit (three to four metric tons per float) and flexible enough to bend with the movement. That's the reason why a total of nearly 15 metric tons of steel is needed. The Lemon Festival keeps three to four metal workers busy for five months.
In December, the Municipal Technical Centre starts building the stands for the parades and with the help of the Fire Department, erects the footbridge that joins the two areas of the Biovès gardens. (We'll be climbing that footbridge)
Tomorrow, we'll learn how they 'fruit' the decorations and floats.
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20 February 2008
Fête du Citron - Corsica
In 1929, Menton, with its micro-climate, was the number one lemon-growing region in Europe. An hotelier had the excellent idea of organising an exhibition of flowers and citrus fruit in the gardens of the Hôtel Riviera. It was so successful that the following year, the event moved into the streets, with carts covered with orange and lemon trees along with beautiful local girls. Wishing to develop tourism, the municipality sought to give its Carnival a typically local colour - and so the Lemon festival was born in 1934. Two years later, the first exhibition of citrus fruit and flowers was launched in the Biovès gardens. Floats were designed and decorated with lemons and oranges. This has continued to this day and each year with a different theme.
If you look at the second photo, you can see how the lemons and oranges are fixed - with rubber bands. Tomorrow - another island - and we'll learn how the floats are constructed.
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19 February 2008
Fête du Citron - Tahiti
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The biggest events tho are the corsos - which take place on specified nights and sometimes during the day. These are processions of moveable floats with bands, folklorique groups, drum majorettes and marching bands, not to mention pretty girls everywhere. Banked seating areas have already been erected throughout the town and have to be booked in advance. The Fête du Citron draws thousands and thousands of visitors from all over the world - and many more come into Menton for the parades.
Tomorrow - another island and we'll learn how the lemon entered the scene.
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18 February 2008
Fête du Citron - the entrance
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The Fete du Citron draws visitors from all over the world but it actually started in 1895 when a group of hoteliers, seeking a way of providing winter entertainment for the city, suggested to the municipality that there be a Carnival parade through the city. By 1896, the Carnival of Menton was as popular with the local population as with the rich winter visitors. At the time, it was fashionable to spend the winter months in the mild climate of the French Riviera. Kings, Queens, Princes, artist and performers stayed in the palaces of Menton, or had splendid villas built. The Carnival of 1882 was a memorable occasion, attended by Queen Victoria in person, and ending in a grandiose fireworks display on the Bay of Garavan.
Tomorrow, we enter - wonders await us - there be dragons and pirates...
To see Bully, the Pyrenean Shepherd Dog, who'll do a trick for you, click on the link.
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17 February 2008
Fête du Citron - preparation
A team of 300 are involved: citrus fruit growers, gardeners, artists, metal workers but they are helped by an enormous band of volunteers from various villages and towns along the coast. 500,000 elastic bands are used and 145 metric tons of citrus are required for the titanic task of creating the giant chars (floats) which we'll see over the next days. The number of hours worked: 20,000.
More tomorrow...
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16 February 2008
Château of Roquebrune - the castle cat
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On the left a final look at this 10th century Château, which as you see rises up, as if produced from the rock itself. La Grotte is at the base of this rock, so we are not going far - just down to the main square.
And my second invitation - why it's the Fête du Citron in Menton. Tomorrow it's Oranges and Lemons time - come back and we'll have some fun.
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15 February 2008
Château of Roquebrune - view from the Donjon
Tomorrow will be the last day of our visit - just time to say goodbye to the cat. I'll have an invitation for you - in fact, two invitations. So please come back.
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14 February 2008
Château of Roquebrune - the Fort - 2
Happy Valentine's Day! A glass of champagne awaits you on Monte Carlo Daily Photo.
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13 February 2008
Château of Roquebrune - the Fort
From the end of the XVth century the Grimaldis attempted to increase the donjon's military power by digging out large, wide artillery loopholes in the thick walls. however, they soon had to face reality: the battery of cannon that could be placed in a semi-circle on the rock face dominating the north side of the fortress, deprived it of its ancent invulnerability. You can these loopholes, from the outside, in THIS PHOTOGRAPH.
Below you see one of the channels cut into the walls. Cannon was rolled down these channels onto the invaders below. You can see one of these (not the one I photographed) on the extreme right and in the part of the photo flooded with sunlight.
Tomorrow, we'll enter the donjon.
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12 February 2008
Château of Roquebrune - the Round Walk - 2 + diagram of castle
Below, you can see a diagram of the castle which is built over four levels. Tomorrow, we'll explore the donjon.
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11 February 2008
Château of Roquebrune - the Round Walk - 1
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10 February 2008
Château of Roquebrune - the Kitchen - 2
Apart from a few visits by Augustin Grimaldi, Lord of Monaco, Roquebrune and Menton, the castle only ever housed soldiers. It was therefore soldiers' fare that was prepared in this kitchen. Supplies were kept in the cellar - water was brought up from the well.
In the photo below, we can see the storage area in the kitchen. Shelves rested on the carved stone brackets within the space.
Note the graffiti. When I first visited this castle there were no iron doors, such as we saw yesterday - one could walk anywhere - and I suppose, over the years, visitors have felt the need to scratch their names in the stonework...
So, this is the last room to be seen. Tomorrow we'll walk through the far end of the Common Room to The Round Walk - which goes all the way around the donjon (the keep).
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